ARR's 'listen-alone-at-night' release

I am in a similar situation in my career as I was quite some back here... a perpetual feeling of being chased by time and an urgency of goals. Other than that, although one knows its just the mind playing tricks with you, why isn't there any respite from that confused insane monkey that just refuses to throw anything down but drags along everything it has savoured! The assuring fact is that the Force accompanies me. Enough of self rant.

Teaching to students in Chennai has been a revelation to me. I simply love the time I spend teaching... much to the amusement of my father who is a headmaster.

Meanwhile, AR Rahman comes up with another of his 'Turn-off-the-lights-at night-and-listen-to-this-on-your headphones' variety of songs. Its Khwaja mere Khwaja from Jodha Akbar. The previous offering from ARR along this genre was Al Maddath Maula from Mangal Pandey. Al Maddath Maula provoked a rahmaniac orthodox Hindu friend of mine declare 'After listening to that in the night, I was so moved, I had to listen to Thiruvasagam by Ilayaraja to convince myself it was just the music that moved me!' . I donno what this genre is... is this Qawwali?

But unlike Al Maddath Maula where the song vibrates with the intense longing of the singer to reach peace in one's mind from the bondages of life, this Jodha Akbar song is relatively less intense. Its 'just' sung in praise of someone and not the passionate cries of a Seeker of the earlier song. The earlier composition with its frenzied background sounds impressed listeners of its intensity. The Jodha Akbar one is refreshingly and elegantly bare in its soundscape.

So long...